E3 2010: LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars First Look

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Fun as predicted.

By Anthony Gallegos

I'm not one to generally gush about graphics, but LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars looks fantastic. Sure, it still has a LEGO aesthetic, which means that the characters and environments look blocky, but the lighting effects animation that have been implemented make this game the best the series has looked. Ever.

Click to see all our LSW3 images.

The core of LSW3 is the same as the other LEGO games. You still play as Star Wars characters, taking them through adventures that will be familiar to those with the subject matter (in this case the Clone Wars movie and animated series). Each level is full of items to collect, and to get through players will have to use a variety of characters' special abilities to overcome puzzles and enemies. It's a simple, fun experience that's been applied to several licenses like Batman and Indiana Jones, and it's always a ton of fun.

Not that LSW3 doesn't bring anything new to the table. Space combat in the game will feature levels where the player can land mid-combat, getting out and using their avatar to do things in the environment before they return to the fray. Boss battles are also more of an experience than before. Previous boss battles in LEGO games often amounted to little more than beating an opponent to death, but LSW3 is implementing fights that require characters to pull out all their unique abilities. For instance at one point I watched as the demo team fought a huge monster, utilizing the Clone Troopers special abilities to shoot grappling hooks to tether it in place while the Jedis cut it down. It's not an intense experience that's going to rack your brain, but hey, these games are for kids and grown-ups alike.

Click to see all our LSW3 images.

The game is still largely meant to be played cooperatively, but it sadly still only supports two players. Maybe it's just me, but I think it's high time that the LEGO series allows me to play with four players, especially since so many of the levels appear to feature four characters the players can switch between.

LSW3 comes out "sometime next year" (and maybe what I saw was just a really polished portion of the game), but it already looks ready for release. With developer Traveler's Tales pedigree, a formula that's proven to work, great source material, and graphical improvements that really make the game shine, I can't wait to spend some more time in the LEGO universe.